


Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes - The Novel

by Crash5020



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 01:45:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 14,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14321802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crash5020/pseuds/Crash5020
Summary: A novelization of the the game. Taking place soon after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Snake and MSF continue their mercenary work until they discover a conspiracy taking place at a Naval Prison Facility in Cuba. As they work to uncover what's happening, certain phantoms from the past return to threaten everything that Snake holds dear.





	1. The Peace Walker Events

"We will forsake our countries. We will leave our motherlands behind us and become one with this earth. We have no nation, no philosophy, no ideology. We go where we're needed, fighting not for country, not for government, but for ourselves. We need no reason to fight. We fight because we are needed. We will be the deterrent for those with no other recourse.  We are soldiers without borders, our purpose defined by the era we live in. We will sometimes have to sell ourselves and services. If the times demand it, we'll be revolutionaries, criminals, terrorists. And yes, we may all be headed straight to hell. But what better place for us than this? It is our only home. Our Heaven... and our Hell. This... is Outer Heaven." – Big Boss, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

     There lived a man who was a legend among mercenaries.

     A man who put together a formidable unit of soldiers of fortune, long before the advent of private military companies, that dared to call itself a nation

     A man who, with his nation at his back, made an enemy of modern capitalist society and the world.

     This is his story.

     Known by the codenames such as "Snake," and later "Big Boss," he proved himself as an agent of U.S. special forces unit FOX, but a certain incident spurred him to part ways with the military and he is said to have roamed the world's warzones as a gun for hire.

     In 1974, Snake and his partner, Kazuhira Miller, were running a small military outfit in Columbia when they were visited by a man claiming to be a professor from Costa Rica's University of Peace. According to this professor, there had been several incidents involving a mysterious armed group in Costa Rica, a country without a military of its own. The professor was accompanied by one of his students, a girl named Paz, who had abducted and assaulted by this group.

     The professor and Paz offered to hire Snake to drive the group out of Costa Rica. However, Snake saw through their deception in an instant.

     The professor was actually a KGB agent, and the armed group in question backed by the CIA. The Cold War was no stranger to such overseas clandestine operations between U.S. and Soviet agents, but the CIA motives were a mystery.

     Paz had escaped from one of the CIA group's facilities with a cassette tape. On it was the voice of the woman known as the Mother of Special Forces – The Boss. With a popular song from 1973 playing in the background, it was reasonable to conclude that the recording was made recently. Snake was stunned.

     The Boss was supposed to be dead. What was she doing in Costa Rica?

     The Boss was Snake's mentor, and the only woman he ever loved. But 10 years prior, Snake was forced to take The Boss' life as part of a mission – a bitter memory that still haunted him. Despite realizing that she simply could not have survived, Snake was unable to turn the professor down.

     Telling himself he was intervening as a deterrent for a defenseless country – as well as to honor the virtue of Paz's name, "peace" – Snake departed for Costa Rica.

     Once there, he ran into a unit of the Sandinista National Liberation Front that had fled Nicaragua. After rising up against the pro-American Somoza regime, these rebels had become targets for the CIA group, who killed their commandante and left the unit in shambles.

     Snake rescued the Sandinistas and invited them back to Mother Base – the new offshore base of operations provided to them by the KGB.

     The fallen commandante's children, Amanda and Chico, saw something of their hero Che Guevara in Snake, and grew to idolize him. This triggered a rapid expansion of Snake's forces.

     However, he was still no closer to discovering what the CIA was really up to in Costa Rica.

     Snake then encountered Huey, a wheel-chaired bound scientist being forced to work for the CIA. Huey revealed the CIA's terrifying plot – they were developing a system by which, following radar detection of an enemy nuclear launch, an A.I. would analyze all available data and automatically execute a retaliatory strike at appropriate targets. Although designed to increase the power of nuclear deterrence, Coldman, the CIA's Central American station chief, planned to actual launch a nuke to demonstrate the effectiveness of automated retaliation.

     This "demonstration" was only five days away. Snake rushed to the development lab to stop their A.I. from being completed.

     Upon infiltrating the lab, Snake was greeted by the voice of the tape, that same voice of his lost mentor, but this was in fact the voice of the retaliatory system's A.I.

     Its developer Dr. Strangelove had selected The Boss – the so-called greatest soldier who ever lived – as the A.I.'s intellectual model. However, succumbing to personal obsession, Strangelove had deviated from the research's original purpose – not only had she reproduced The Boss' voice, she was on the verge of bringing her psyche back to life in A.I. form, driven by a bizarre kind of love.

     What if The Boss could truly be revived in every detail, if only in A.I. form…? Snake hesitated as Strangelove's idea touched his sense of loss. His guard down, Snake was immediately captured. The Boss A.I. was completed, and Peace Walker, the nuclear-equipped walking battle tank housing this retaliatory A.I. system, went active.

     Snake fought in vain as Peace Walker prepared to fire the nuke. But in the face of catastrophe, it was ultimately a machine that saved mankind from nuclear annihilation – The Boss A.I. sank Peace Walker to the bottom of Lake Nicaragua, stopping the launch.

     With the crisis behind him, Snake took advantage of his recent mobilization to continue Mother Base's expansion indefinitely.

     Snake understood that the A.I. had acted to save the world, but that did not change the fact that this system based on The Boss' mind had chosen at last to lay down its weapon. As a weapon himself, Snake felt the act to be a rejection of his life.

     Undeterred, Snake and Miller invited doctors Huey and Strangelove to Mother Base to develop Metal Gear ZEKE, a bipedal weapon they eventually equipped with a nuclear warhead, suddenly making their unit a nuclear power.

     Meanwhile, Mother Base took in Paz, already an orphan but now left without even her KGB benefactor following the end of the crisis. However, this was all engineered by an intelligence agency known as Cipher.

     Under Cipher's orders, Paz got close to Amanda, Chico, and the others while exploring more and more of the base, secretly plotting to hijack ZEKE. Her objective was to use the weapon as a bargaining chip to force Snake into becoming the military arm for Cipher.

     Paz's attempt failed when Snake defeated ZEKE, and she was thrown beneath the waters of the Caribbean. It was the only then that Snake learned Chico had fallen in love with her.

     A diary she kept while on the base was discovered several days later. It revealed a young girl torn between serving Cipher and following her heart. This discovery made them wonder if whether she left it behind to help them or not and who she would side with if she survived.

   


	2. Eliminate the Renegade Threat

December 3rd, 1974 13:28

Snake slid down a rocky cliff and landed in front of a small cave overlooking the surrounding waters. He was finally in position to start his latest mission, to eliminate a sniper-spotter team known as Glaz and Palitz – the eye and the finger, who were currently stationed in a U.S. Naval Prison Facility in Cuba. During the United States' involvement in the Laotian Civil War, these two conducted a number of horrific acts against NVA officials and their officials and their families until their retirement shortly after U.S. involvement was phased out.

The client of this mission was none other than the KGB who were able to contact MSF through Snake' second in command, Kazuhira Miller, who he was acquainted with when he was a trainer for a Colombian guerilla group. Snake was apprehensive at first, but Miller assured him that his contacts weren’t connected to Vladimr Aleksandrovich Zadornov, the KGB agent that coaxed them into Costa Rica in the first place, and sent the spies from the Intel Team to study the targets. Once they reported their findings of the target's most common travel patterns, Snake suited up and made his way to the prison facility.

Snake was no stranger to sneaking into secured facilities, but this facility seemed to have fewer places to hide. The facility was split into several smaller areas: a heliport, two refugee camps, an old prison and an Administration Building. Splintered throughout these areas were guard towers with search lights, armories where they stored their weapons and anti-air emplacements. With that in mind, Snake had to use everything in his environment to make sure he wasn't seen. If anyone caught wind of his presence, then security around the targets would definitely increase.

Snake used the tents in the east refugee camp as cover and noticed one of his targets next to one of the many armories in the base accompanied by two other soldiers. It was the sniper of the duo, Palitz – the finger. Snake made his way closer to his target and crouched behind a crate. It was there where he noticed a drop of sweat roll down his shaved head and watched his hands tremble in fear. He didn't know why, but he knew that it presented an opportunity.

Snake dashed from his hiding spot and, with lightning speed, grabbed the nearest guard and threw him down to the ground, knocking him out in the process. He then kicked the other guard into the armory wall, knocking him out too. Palitz then noticed Snake' presence and aimed his shotgun at him, but was quickly disarmed and punched unconscious. Snake then lowered his stance and decided to radio Miller to inform him of the situation.

"Kaz, I ran into Palitz," said Snake.

"Did you send him to Hell?" asked Miller.

"No, I'm bringing him back to base," Snake replied.

"What?!" Miller responded with surprise.

"I have a feeling something's not right here," said Snake. "We're going to have to change the mission objectives."

"I… I guess you could stick them into the chopper," said Miller. "Just don't take any more unnecessary risks."

"Right," Snake said, nodding his head.

Snake hid the unconscious guards into the armory and lifted Palitz over his shoulder. He carried him back to his extraction point and then started to make his way to the Administration Building, where the other target Glaz was stationed at. He made his way up a nearby road and suddenly heard the roar of an engine. He dived into a nearby bush and noticed a jeep driven by Glaz, on a nearby bridge. He realized that Glaz was driving out of the mission area, meaning that he wouldn't be able to complete his mission. Without a second thought, Snake grabbed his tranquilizer pistol, aimed at Glaz's head and fired.

The shot instantly knocked Glaz unconscious, causing the jeep he was driving to spiral out of control and crash into a nearby fence. Snake quickly climbed up to Glaz and was surprised to find him covered in sweat. He found it strange, but he had no time to wonder why. He retrieved Glaz and took off before the soldiers arrived to inspect the crash site. He then made his way back to the extraction point just as the extraction chopper arrived. He loaded the two into the chopper and jumped in himself. The chopper quickly took off and flew out of facility's airspace, officially making the mission a success.

But despite the mission's success, there was something Snake couldn't get off his mind: what were Glaz and Palitz afraid of and why?


	3. Lost Peace

Mother Base, Base of Operations for Snake's army without a nation: Militaires Sans Frontières

December 4th, 1974

"Boss, we interrogated the targets from your last mission," said Miller. "We couldn't get much out of them. All we really know was that something at that base scared them more than death itself."

Snake blew a puff of smoke and turned toward Kazuhira Miller, his second-in-command.

"So there is something going on at that base," said Snake.

Snake had guessed that something was happening at the U.S. Naval Base during his last mission there and Miller's report confirmed his suspicions.

"It's not an area of interest for us, but I sent an Intel Agent to scope it out," said Miller.  "I'll let you know if we find anything."

"Right," Snake nodded.

Miller took his leave and Snake continued to smoke his cigar. He continued to wonder what was really going on at that Naval Base and what effect it could have on the world. Snake blew another puff of smoke and, from the corner of his eye, noticed Chico slouching over the edge of the platform, staring at the sea. He's been doing that ever since Paz was blown out of ZEKE and tossed into the sea. Even though she was revealed to be a spy for Cipher and threatened to frame MSF by launching their nuke at east coast of the United States, the young revolutionary still harbored feelings for her, something that Snake could understand.

Snake himself still held a soft spot for Paz. He was unsure where her true allegiance lied, but the diary she left behind showed a young girl who acted out of fear then following her heart. Paz made it clear that if she had to choose between death and defying Cipher, she would gladly take death and that made Snake wonder how far his old friend Zero has fallen. Chico then stood up and noticed Snake standing behind him.

"Snake…" Chico said before looking back at the sea. "Do you think that she would ever come back here if she survived?"

"Who knows?" Snake answered, trying not to give him false hope. 

"Right…" Chico muttered, before sadly walking away.

Snake knew it was going to take time for Chico to move on and it would be best if he was given his own space to do so. Snake was then approached by Huey Emmerich, one of the head A.I. scientists for Metal Gear ZEKE.

"Boss, we finally finished repairing ZEKE after your fight with Paz," Huey reported. "You sure did a number on it."

"I had to," Snake replied. "She was going to fire a nuke and make us enemies of the world."

"Ironically, that's the reason we have the nuke in the first place," Huey chuckled. "But, can I ask you something, Boss?"

"What is it?" asked Snake.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you have accepted Paz's offer have us join Cipher?" asked Huey.

"Huey… we don't fight for any nation or government," Snake answered. "We fight for ourselves and that's not going to change and if Cipher wants to get in the way of that then that makes them our enemy."

"Right," Huey nodded.

 


	4. Intel Operative Rescue

December 7th, 1974 05:31

A lone helicopter flew across the ocean as the yellow sun rose from the blue horizon. Inside was Snake, holding up a pair of glasses. They belonged to a vital member of MSF's Intel Unit who was sent to check out the Naval Facility Snake infiltrated a few days prior. But after a few days there, he has requested an emergency extraction from the base, sending his signature J.F. Rey Eyewear JF1142 col 2924 (Ocean/Turquoise) eyeglasses as proof of his idenity. Because this specific agent was so important, Miller concluded that no one but Snake could handle this mission. The mission… assault the base and rescue the Intel agent.

"We're coming up on the base!" Morpho, the helicopter pilot called back.

Snake grabbed the gun he chose specifically for this endeavor and headed for the left helicopter door. With a push of a button, the doors opened and Snake strapped the harness tightly across his waist.

"Got a visual?" Miller asked over the radio.

"Negative," Morpho responded. "No sign of him."

"Are we too late…?" Miller worried. "If he's caught, he could drag us all down with him."

Morpho piloted the helicopter over one of the armories and Snake noticed the soldiers on base scrambling around. Snake deduced that they were trying to keep the Intel Agent from escaping, so he fired at them as the helicopter flew towards the west refugee camp. As Snake fired at more soldiers, someone accessed Morpho's frequency and asked if they could hear him.

"Incoming comms from the target," Morpho informed his superiors.

"Patch him through," Miller ordered.

"This is Morpho," Morpho answered the agent. "Go ahead."

"I am bein… pur… along the east coast," the agent said. "Nee… immediate evac!"

The agent tried to explain his situation, but the words Morpho could hear was a garbled mess.

"I can't hear him!" Morpho reported.

"Dammit!" Miller exclaimed." Where is he…?"

As the helicopter circled around the west refugee camp, Snake and Morpho noticed a flare go off along the east coast

"Flare at 11'o clock!" Morpho reported.

"That's his signal?" Miller wondered.

"En Route," Morpho reported, turning the helicopter around.

Morpho headed for the east coast of the base, but now every soldier on the base was aware of their presence and opened fire on them. If the helicopter went down, then there would be no way for the mission to be completed, so protecting it was priority #1. Snake fired at his attackers as the helicopter flew towards the east coast and eventually spotted his target firing at his attackers from behind a jeep. Despite being one of MSF's best when it comes to Intel gathering, this agent wasn't so good when it came to combat. His aim was off and it seemed as if he couldn't hit any of the soldiers if his life depended on it.

From the helicopter, Snake provided cover fire and took down the hostiles before they could hurt the Intel agent. As Snake reloaded, Morpho confirmed that the hostiles were down to Miller. Miller realized that touching down to get the agent right then and there wasn't a choice and advised that they try at the helipad. Morpho asked the agent if he could make it there, but the agent calmly assured him that he could and requested an escort.

The Intel agent gracefully jumped into the driver's seat of the jeep he creatively stole and drove throughout the base, protected by his legendary mercenary of a boss. He drove up to the helipad, but just when it seemed like he was in the clear; the jeep was hit by a missile and crashed into a nearby building.

"Target vehicle is out of commission!" Morpho exclaimed.

"Is he okay?" Miller asked.

Morpho tried to radio the agent, but couldn't get an answer.

"Get him out of there!" Miller ordered.

After clearing the helipad of enemy combatants, Morpho lowered the helicopter at the helipad and Snake rushed towards the crash site. He found the agent next to the damaged jeep and breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered the agent was merely unconscious. He knew that if something happened to this agent, there would be no way to replace him. Snake carried the unconscious agent to the helicopter and it took off.

Morpho piloted the helicopter over the admin building and saw something that could complicate their escape.

"Contact. 10 o'clock!" Morpho yelled.

Snake turned towards that direction and noticed an enemy helicopter headed their way. The helicopter's side doors were then opened and a lone soldier aimed a missile launcher at Snake.

"They're still coming?" Miller wondered. "Make 'em regret it, Boss!"

The enemy helicopter flew up next to them as Snake grabbed his gun and aimed it at the soldier with the missile launcher. It was a tense moment. The outcome of this mission all dwindled down to a single movement. Whoever pulled their trigger first would be the victor. With lightning fast speed and incredible accuracy, Snake fired at the enemy's head, knocking him out of his helicopter. The enemy helicopter flew back towards the base and Morpho piloted the victorious helicopter towards the sea. With a job well done, Snake closed the helicopter doors and went over to check his now conscious comrade.

"S-Snake…" the agent weakly mumbled.

The agent dropped his sunglasses and accepted his own glasses back from Snake. He put them on and looked back at Snake.

"What took you so long?" the agent asked.

"Kept you waiting, huh…?" Snake replied. "I'm glad you're okay, Mr. Kojima."

 


	5. Black Site

"Boss, that Intel agent you extracted brought back two cassette tapes with him," said Miller. "One of them was a recording of an interrogation and the other contained secret data on the base."

"So what do we know?" asked Snake.

"I think you should listen to the interrogation tape yourself first," said Miller, handing him the aforementioned tape.

Snake placed the tape firmly in his walkman and pressed the play button, starting the recording. It started with nothing but the heavy breathing of a male, desperately gasping for air. Snake didn't notice anything odd about the tap until he started to hear footsteps from the tape.

"I needed this place, to listen to the words people had to say. That's something that they could never understand."

The gasping continued as the footsteps grew louder, before stopping.

"You've done your part. You told us plenty. You've known the pain of ages. And even now you think, as any person would, that this can't be happening. Is it education? Morals, faith? Just the imprint of a lifetime of stories? Face to face with oblivion, which is where you are and you still think that help is coming. The world you were born into is made to save you. Isn't that right?"

No answers were given; all that was heard was the heavy breathing of the listener.

"Of course it is. Everyone knows that. Until your last breath, you know it. Without the slightest chance or reason left to them, humans are capable of hope. I'm no different. But for one thing… When my time came calling, I didn't die. My family died, my country died, but they didn't take them with me. All Hell took from me was this skin, this outer peel that marked me 'human.'

My village had an oilseed field and a fine factory. Every day my friends and I would see our parents at work in that factory. That's all I had. All the world I knew. Then one day, aircraft came droning in from some far-off sky. The factory was bombed. Some… 'spies' had told them we were making weapons. The building burned. We tried to flee outside. The crowd of people. Hot. So hot. I tried to push through their legs and get ahead, but a boot in my stomach put me on the ground. The smoke of them burning filled me up. I heard my name called… but not for long.

At the infirmary they carried me to, a nurse in the corridor saw me and remarked, as if it happened everyday: 'hey should let the poor thing die.' Those are the only words of my mother tongue I remember. It was the language of my village. Until foreign troops invaded. Then the last identity I had left – the words I spoke – were pulled from me.

My skin would never feel anything again. This face would be burned again, in torture, at foreign hands, but I, I still writhe in that burning factory. Doused in scalding rapeseed oil. That's all I have to feel, that pain – all I have to remind me that I exist here.

Those 'spies' reported well. We made weapons all right. As cartloads of rifles came in from the battlefields, we fixed them up and sent them back out. So our country could win. Or rather, so that little world we knew could continue. I came to realize I mustn't die. I'm their last hope, all those who perished and left me here. I have to accomplish something. If I don't, their will will be swept out of this world.

So? Do you see me now? Tell me. What do you see?  Hmm? You have eyes. What do your eyes see?

Yes, that's right. You see a skull face. You see me. This skull is who I am. My mark, my proof of humanity. I have no country, no language, I have no face, but I haven't lost my skull.

So I told myself… The pain and effort that keep me alive will never know relief, never bear fruit, never be repaid. I know that, but I told myself to focus on some hope, a nonexistent hope to guide me through this burning world. A hope – call it a dream. A melancholic delusion. As the pressures within me stretch me to bursting, and I force myself not to cry out, though the words I thought were carved into me are gone, and all I knew is dead.

I know how you feel. I've felt that. So show me. That I'm not the only one. That you too can return to this world, for revenge. Do you see me. Don't die. Don't die!"

The heavy breathing stopped and the tape cut off with a disappointing sigh.

"That tape was a recording of an interrogation," said Snake.

"Yeah," Miller said, nodding his head in agreement. "I was suspicious about it for a while but this tape confirms that that base has been converted into a black site."

"A black site?" Snake repeated.

"The other tape reveals more," Miller continued. "It contains every last detail of the black site development plan. The refugee camps there would have been converted into interrogation facilities, run by a small army of pros in every form of torture there is. They’ve even purchased a fleet of transports. The facilities’ inmates wouldn’t be limited to just prisoners, but anyone they considered a threat, renditioned from around the world under the designation of 'enemy combatants'. I think you know who's behind this."

"Cipher," Snake answered.

"This plan goes beyond the current paradigm of nation states. But is something like this really the 'World Without Borders' that Cipher wants?" Miller wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Snake sighed. "Ever since the ZEKE incident, I'm not sure what Zero's thinking anymore."

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Miller shrugged. "I say we keep some Intel Agents there to keep tabs on Cipher while we go back to business."

"Right," Snake replied.


	6. Nuclear Inspection Demand by the IAEA

2 months later, Snake returned to Mother Base after a tough mission and was immediately approached by Miller.

"Snake, yesterday, we received official communication from the IAEA," Miller informed him. "It says, 'It has come to our attention that your organization recently purchased nuclear fuel from Uzbekistan authorities. We request permission to inspect your facilities.'"

"What a load of bullshit," Snake replied.

Snake knew that the request wasn't as 'innocent' as it seemed, something that Miller agreed with.

"Yeah," Miller nodded his head. "They're after Metal Gear ZEKE's nuclear warhead. I'm betting this is payback from Cipher after Paz's leak."

"Using the UN?" Snake wondered.

"There's no telling how much influence they have," Miller pointed out. "But the IAEA can only do inspections in countries that are party to the NPT."

"And we're not a country," said Snake.

"Exactly," Miller smirked. "We haven't signed a safeguards agreement with the IAEA over peaceful nuclear use, and we're not obligated to report any nuclear material we have, nor information about any nuclear facilities. The IAEA has no authority to inspect us.

"But despite all that..." Snake started.

"That nuke's our last line of defense," Miller reminded him. "We don't want to announce we have it until the world is preparing to wipe us off the map. Until then, we let everyone think we're just a private army with conventional firepower."

"What's Huey's take?" asked Snake.

"That the problem's how to hide the nuke and Metal Gear," Miller replied. "But I gotta tell you, he was all for it."

"I see..." Snake pulled a cigar out of his bag and lit it. "But there's no way we can have the IAEA poking around here."

"So what do we do?" asked Miller. "Ignore 'em?"

"Send them an official letter of refusal," Snake ordered. "Say that we're a private organization, and we've done nothing to attract this suspicion."

"You got it," Miller grinned.

Meanwhile, in Metal Gear ZEKE's hangar, Huey checked on the tank's specifications to make sure it's still battle ready.

"I wonder if I could add Peace Walker's drill missiles to ZEKE," Huey mumbled.

Huey looked up at his creation and thought about all the armaments attached to it.

"Nah," Huey concluded.

Huey continued to work on his new specs for ZEKE on his computer until Cecile walked in with an envelope.

"Huey, how is your bipedal machine coming along?" asked Cecile.

"Well, I got it in working condition, but I was wondering how I could make it even better," Huey replied. "By the way, what brings you here? It's not often you come around ZEKE's hangar."

"Well, the constant noise scares the birds away," Cecile answered. "But Miller asked me to give you this letter. It appears it's from your father."

"My father?!" said the baffled scientist. "How'd he find me here?!"

"Snake and Miller think he used government connections to send it here," Cecile replied handing him the envelope. "Anyway, I have to meet  up with Amanda in the mess hall. Au revoir."

Cecile took her leave and Huey opened up the letter. He wondered what his father could have wrote him, but what he found written on the letter was the last thing he expected to read. The surprised scientist looked around the hangar to make sure he was alone. He didn't want anyone to see what was written on his letter.

"Is this for real?" Huey grinned.

 


	7. Allowing the Nuclear Inspection

February 27th, 1975.

"Boss, we have a problem!" said Miller.

"What is it?" asked Snake.

"The IAEA is coming here for the nuclear inspection," Miller informed him.

"What?" Snake replied in a surprised tone. "I thought we sent a letter of refusal."

"Well someone sent told them that we had a 'change of heart,'" Miller explained.

"Who did that?" asked Snake.

"I'll give you 3 guesses," said Miller.

Meanwhile in ZEKE's hangar, Huey looked over his blueprints to ZEKE until Snake and Miller walked in.

"Hey guys," Huey waved. "I'm glad you’re here. I have some news to share about ZEKE."

"Huey…" Snake started.

"We finished ZEKE's waterproofing reinforcement yesterday," said Huey. "The day after tomorrow we'll be done installing the main depth control tank, the compressed air tank, and the attitude control propeller pod."

"Huey…" Miller started.

"If the underwater test goes well, next week we'll try the 300-foot seabed depth," Huey continued.

"Drop the act, Huey," said Miller. "How did we end up agreeing to the nuclear inspection?"

"...Because after you sent that letter I told them, 'After careful reconsideration we agree to your request.'" Huey nervously replied. "And frankly, we should be inspected. This is our chance. If they come and go without discovering the nuke, we can tell the world we're clean. Of course it's risky, and we'll have to make sure everything's perfect. But it'll be worth it."

"Huey, can they do an inspection without going through the Board of Governors?" asked Snake.

"We contacted the IAEA's admin branch, and they said there's no record of us being brought up at any of the Board's meetings," said Miller.

"I'd say... probably a preliminary inspection to determine whether we should be referred to the Board," Huey explained. "So it's bound to be a small inspection team, and they won't be here that long. Don't worry, leave everything to me."

"Has the media gotten wind of this?" asked Snake.

"Yeah," Huey grinned. "Two major Western networks want to do stories on us. I'd planned on saying yes."

"What?!" Miller exclaimed. "You want to broadcast this place to the world?"

"That's why I agreed to the inspection," Huey replied. "This is a golden opportunity. We can use the media to prove to the world we don't have a nuke. Besides, even if we said no, it would just be delaying the inevitable."

"Kaz, our hands are tied now," Snake relented. "Start getting the place ready."

"Thanks, Boss," said Huey.

"Don't get the wrong idea," said Snake. "You've set it up so that any more 'changes of heart' will arouse suspicion, that's all."

"ZEKE stays, but we'll have to move all other AFVs to shore," said Miller. "Any potential troublemakers can go with them for some mandatory R&R. Sound good, Boss?"

"Just do it," said Snake.

February 28th, 1975.

"About the inspection… what do we tell the men?" asked Snake.

"The truth – what else?" Miller replied. "The one thing we don't need to worry about is anyone here spilling the beans about ZEKE."

"Good point," said Snake. "What about the Sandinistas? There's still quite a few of them left on the base."

"I hate to say it, but it won't look good having Soviet Bloc personnel here..." said Miller. The problem is, moving a group that size in a hurry would look even worse."

"At least Amanda's on assignment in Cuba," Snake sighed. "They'd recognize her. She should stay put for now."

"All civilians, save Huey, will have to return to their countries," said Miller.

"Even your Parisienne?" Snake smirked.

"Of course. We'll get her whatever papers she needs." Miller grinned. "Dr. Strangelove's departure came at a perfect time. The less ZEKE-related staff here thebetter."

"Wait, she left?" asked a surprised Snake.

"That's right, you were away on a mission," Miller remembered. "She left last week. There's nothing cooking in AI weapons research, and ZEKE is complete. There was really no reason for her to hang around."

"I'm surprised Huey let her go that easy," said Snake.

"Yeah, his crush on Strangelove was never much of a secret, huh," Miller chuckled. "He followed her everywhere while ZEKE was in development. Boy, would she get pissed. But he does have a lot on his mind right now. 'I've got bigger issues to deal with'... That's what he said."

"That's the spirit, Huey," Snake grinned.

 


	8. Word on Paz's Survival

March 4th, 1975

Snake met up with Miller on the main command strut and was surprised by the serious face Miller had.

"What happened?" asked Snake.

"Ten days ago, we got reports that Paz was still alive," said Miller.

"She survived?" Snake responded in a surprised tone.

"She was rescued by a Belizean fisherman who found her drifting in the Caribbean," Miller explained.

"So what's the plan?" asked Snake. "Silence her before we're compromised?"

"No, I've got something else in mind," Miller replied. "Our "friends" at Cipher suspect Paz could be a double agent. She's being held for interrogation at a camp on the southern tip of Cuba."

"Black site – nice," Snake smirked. "A slice of American pie on communist soil, and out of U.S. legal jurisdiction."

"The upcoming inspection of Mother Base has to be connected somehow," Miller theorized. "The timing's too perfect."

"The UN's nuclear inspection..." Snake muttered.

"My guess is they're trying to corroborate Paz's leak," said Miller.

"We're an army without a nation," said Snake.

"Word of our capabilities gets out, and we'll have the whole world out to shut us down," said Miller. "Having an American private intelligence agency involved's bad news. Cipher's the ones who sent Paz to us in the first place."

"She knows their true nature," Snake added.

"Right," Miller nodded his head. "Paz is our only link to Cipher. If she's still alive... ...We need her on our side. If not us, who else is gonna rescue that bitch?"

"When do we do it?" asked Snake.

"The inspection comes first," said Miller. "We'll deal with this afterwards."

"Do the men know?" asked Snake.

"Word has started to spread," said Miller. "The information came from Cuba through Amanda. One of the base personnel used to belong to El Frente. I'll tell everyone, 'We don't concert ourselves with the survival of enemy spies.' We need them focused on the inspection. And if we get her back here and she isn't... cooperative, there's still plenty of room for her in the ocean."

"Works for me," Snake said. "What about Chico? He had a chance to stop Paz from hijacking ZEKE, and he blew it. He's carried that guilt ever since. Kid really did care about her."

"Chico... It's hard to say how he'll react," said Miller.

"Have Amanda call him out to Cuba," Snake ordered. "He shouldn't be here right now."

"Good idea," Miller agreed. "They haven't seen each other in a while. Little time with big sis and he'll forget all about you-know-who."

March 6th, 1975

"What?" Miller exclaimed. "Still no sign of Chico?"

"What's going on?" asked Snake.

"It's Amanda in Cuba." Miller whispered, lowering his radio. "Our resupply package arrived, but Chico wasn't with it."

Miller raised the radio back up and spoke into it, "Relax, Amanda, I'm sure he's just... exploring Havana or something. First time in the big city, he could've gotten carried away..."

"Kaz, wait. The boat Chico was on – did it stop anywhere before it got to Havana?" asked Snake.

"Yeah, it had to refuel at Santiago de Cuba..." Miller stopped to realized what that meant. "You don't think... Aw shit, you gotta be kidding me! He does this NOW?!"

"It's 60 miles from Santiago to the prison camp. Chico used to cross the mountains with the older Sandinistas like it was nothing. He'll make that in three days." Snake pointed out.

"Still, even if he does find his way there..." Miller started.

"You know how reckless he can be," said Snake. "Chico thinks we've abandoned Paz. That's why he's doing this."

"...We'll start by having the Intel detachment in Cuba look for him," said Miller. "We can't let him be captured."

 


	9. Arrival in Cuba

March 7th, 1975

Chico climbed out of the water and immediately ducked behind a nearby bush. It took some doing, but the young revolutionary was finally able to make it the U.S. Naval Facility in Cuba where Paz was supposedly being held. Chico checked his surroundings as he pulled out his recorder. He figured that recording his mission could be a good insurance and help convince the others he could be taken more seriously.  

"I made it ashore," Chico spoke into the recorder. "I'm in Cuba. Security looks lighter than I thought. I wonder where Paz is. It's dark, but there are soldiers everywhere. Lots of choppers coming and going. Those lights are so bright... Time to get moving."

Chico looked around his immediate surroundings, hoping he could find a trace of Paz.

"I got close to the fence to see if I could spot her. They had a guard posted so I got outta there. Guess security is not so light after all," said Chico. "I'm coming, Paz..."

The 12-year old continued his search. It wasn't the first time he's been in a secured base, but he still couldn't shake the fear of being caught and tortured again.

"I'm OK... I'm... I'm OK..." Chico said to himself, trying to stay calm.

Chico continued on and eventually saw something that caught his interest.

"I think I found her!" said Chico. "It's gotta be Paz!"

Chico tried to get closer to confirm his sighting, but the light from a soldier's gun stopped him in his track. Chico immediately bolted and hid in a nearby tent, but there was no way of taking back his mistake. The alarms of the base went off, which meant only thing…

"No no no..." Chico muttered. "They're looking for me."

Chico stuck his head out of the tent and was immediately pulled out by one of the marines, causing him drop his recorder.

"Enough. Quit that struggling." the soldier said.

Chico tried to escape, but was unable to overpower his captor. He was soon restrained as other soldier moved in towards him and pointed their rifles at him.

"Got him secured," the soldier reported. "It's a kid."

March 8th, 1975

Chico pressed the record button as he wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"I'm... I got caught," Chico sniffled. "I'm in a cage. They gave me back my recorder... At least whoever finds this will know what happened."

Chico looked around the prison area and took note of the other prisoners there.

"They're holding others here, too. But still no sign of Paz," said Chico.

Chico let out a depressing sigh until he noticed another prisoner being dragged into the prison area. It was a girl with short blonde hair and a few bruises. The soldiers tossed the girl into the cell behind Chico's and left her in her pained state. As soon as they left, the girl looked up and was surprised by who her fellow cellmate was.

"Chico?" the girl weakly spoke.

"Paz?" Chico replied with surprise.

"Chico..." Paz weakly smiled.


	10. Routine

March 9th, 1975

The next day, Chico watched a few U.S. Marine soldiers approach Paz' cell and unlocked the door. One of the soldiers reached for Paz, but the rebellious girl smacked their hands away.

"Don't touch me, you son of a bitch!" Paz snapped.

The guard responded by swinging his rifle at Paz's face before slamming her to the ground. Chico could only watch in horror as they dragged her out of her cell and started to beat her.

"Paz...!" Chico whimpered.

It was too much for the young boy to see. He has never seen such savagery to prisoners before. Heard, but never seen. The strangest thing to Chico was that they weren’t even asking her for any information. They were just assaulting someone who couldn't fight back.

March 10th, 1975

It was the same routine as yesterday. Paz was taken out of her cage and beaten within an inch of her life with no one questioning her for any information. The only thing that they were getting out of her was her blood and tears.

March 11th, 1975

Paz's torture continued. After hours of nonstop beatings, the proud girl couldn't even wince in pain anymore. One of the soldiers raised his fist, but was immediately stopped by a man who wore a trench coat and a ten-gallon hat.

"She looks weak," the man said. "We need her alive."

"Yes, sir," the soldier nodded.

As the soldiers dragged Paz back to her cell, the man walked approached Chico, who was immediately scared by the man's appearance.

"What's wrong, kid?" the man smirked, caressing his blue scarred face. "You look like you've seen a phantom or maybe… a Skull Face."

"Skull Face…" Chico repeated.

"Don't forget it," Skull Face chuckled.

Paz was then thrown into her cage and Skull Face took his leave with the other marines.

"...Paz," Chico called out to the barely conscious girl.

"Hm?" Paz weakly responded.

Paz weakly raised her head and stared at Chico.

"You're back early today," said Chico.

"Early..." Paz repeated.

"The sun is still up," Chico pointed out.

Paz then turned her head to her right and looked towards the ocean to find that the sun was inching closer to the horizon.

"Si," Paz nodded.

"Y-yeah," Chico replied.

"Chico," Paz started.

"Yes?" Chico responded.

"Let us not do this, okay?" asked Paz.

"Huh?" the confused boy replied.

"I do not think I want to talk to you," said Paz.

Chico couldn't understand what Paz was saying. Why would Paz not want to talk to him after all he did to get to her?

"But..." Chico started. "I came here to..."

"Just be quiet," said Paz. "Or I'll scream."

"What the... I don't get it," Chico mumbled.


	11. Interrogation

March 12th, 1975

"Paz!" Chico cried as she was dragged out of her cage again.

Even if she didn't seem to appreciate his rescue attempt, Chico couldn't bear the thought of Paz going through another day of torture. An hour later, another soldier came by, opened the door to his cage and pointed his rifle at the young boy.

"On your feet!" the soldier ordered.

"Okay..." Chico fearfully replied.

The soldier escorted Chico to his jeep and drove him to the Administration Building of the naval base. The jeep soon stopped in front of a large gate and the soldier requested it to open. The gate slowly opened revealing a section of the base that was even more secured than the rest of the base. There were cameras around every corners and guards covering the cameras blind spots. The soldier then parked his jeep near a nearby armory and escorted Chico down to the boiler room, where he found Paz being tortured.

"Paz..." Chico muttered.

"You've got company..." Skull Face informed Paz.

Skull Face approached the frightened boy and slapped him across his face.

"Does it hurt?" asked Skull Face.

Chico didn't respond. He wasn't sure what the right answer would be. Unfortunately for him, that indecisiveness resulted in him being mercilessly slapped again.

"Talk," said Skull Face.

Skull Face struck the young boy once more.

"Talk!" Skull Face demanded before striking Chico again. "You can speak, can't you?

Skull Face then jerked Chico towards him, intimidating the boy even more.

"Then talk," Skull Face ordered before releasing his grip.

"Okay!" Chico relented. "Okay..."

"Good boy," Skull Face smirked. "Your boss and I go way back. Don't count on him coming to rescue you. If you're a real soldier, you'll find your own way out. But don't bother trying to escape. Let's say you get lucky – and you don't look very lucky – and by some miracle you get out of your cage. Let's even say you're able to elude the guards. Then what?

The nearest Cuban border is four miles to the east. Four miles of barren, America-controlled soil. Think you'd make it? You wouldn't get any help from the Cubans. And the border's a mess of live minefields. Think you'd make it through that? With your girlfriend in tow? If you were that lucky, you wouldn't even be here right now."

Skull Face's words drilled into Chico the reality of his situation. The only reason he was able to get to the base was because MSF unknowingly gave him a good head start. There was no way he could get himself and Paz out of their predicament by himself and no one knew where he was. There was nothing he could do.

"Don't lose hope," said Skull Face. "There's another way out. For both you and the girl. This way is... much simpler. I ask, you answer. Easy, right? Just tell me what you know."

"You're dumber than you look," said Paz." Wasting your time torturing kids."

Skull Face struck Paz while keeping his eyes trained on Chico.

"Tell me about your base," said Skull Face.

"Chico," Paz gave him a stern look.

Skull Face grabbed Paz by her cheeks and gave Chico a threatening look.

"Well?" asked Skull Face.

"Chico!" Paz shook her head.

Chico didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he couldn't bear seeing Paz tortured again.

"Hit me!" Chico demanded.

Without saying a word, Skull Face grabbed a nearby belt and swung it at Chico.

"Again!" Chico demanded.

"Hmpf. Trying to impress the girl, little man?" asked Skull Face. "How cute."

Skull Face then turned his attention back to Paz and said, "All right. Let's try something else."

The torturer approached the battered and bloodied girl and started swinging his belt at her.

"Stop it!" Chico yelled.

"She'll get what she deserves," said Skull Face. "We were comrades, once. But she betrayed us. Deception and deceit. What better proof she's a... real woman."

Skull Face dropped his belt and picked Paz up by her neck.

"Show him," Skull Face smirked.

"Do you realize what you're doing?!" Paz exclaimed. "Cipher is watching."

Without a word, Skull Face quickly released his grip on Paz's neck, jerked her by her uniform and shoved her against the wall.

"Let go of me!" Paz demanded. "You'll be next! Your hideous face wi..."

To Chico's horror, the inhuman torturer ripped off Paz's uniform and tossed her in front of him.

"Repulsive, isn't it?" asked Skull Face. "Look. Look carefully."

Chico couldn't help but look over Paz. He was shocked by how many scars she had. It was at that point when Chico realized that had a darker history then he had realized.

"Watch out when you grow up, boy. This is the kind of woman you'll want to avoid," said Skull Face. "Of course, scars like those make it rather difficult to lead a normal life. I should know."

Skull Face turned to a nearby marine and handed him a chain to string Paz up. He then turned back to Chico and laid out the how the situation would go.

"Talk, and you both go free," said Skull Face.

"Chico, no!" Paz begged as she was tortured. "Don't..."

"Only you can stop this," said Skull Face.

"Don't talk!" Paz begged him. "Chico, please! No!"

As Chico watched Paz undergo torture worse than yesterday, he eventually noticed that she was humming the song she was meant to sing on Peace Day, causing him to question everything she did. Why did she hijack Metal Gear ZEKE? Why did she threaten Snake and MSF? Why was she here? And most importantly, why was she bothering to protect them now?

"Paz…" Chico mumbled. "Why?"

After hours of nonstop torture, Skull Face ordered the marine to stop and approached Chico.

"Move," Skull Face ordered. "Get up."

"Huh?" Chico replied.

"You heard me," Skull Face jerked him up and forced him to keep his eyes on Paz. "Do you like what you see?"

"...Huh?" the confused boy replied.

"I said... Do you like what you see?" Skull Face repeated in a more threatening tone. "It's like... fruit. Does she look sweet or sour? A man has to know these things. Time for a taste test."

Skull Face released Paz from her bonds and threw her in front of Chico.

"Either you take her – now – or you're strung up next," said Skull Face.

"Don't worry, Chico," Paz weakly smiled.

"No..." replied under his breath. "No..."

"It's okay, Chico..." Paz reassured him. "You won't hurt me."

"I don't..." Chico refused.

"Get on with it," Skull Face ordered.

"I can't..." said Chico.

"Chico!" Paz pleaded.

"No..." Chico continued to refuse.

"Come on," Paz continued to plead.

Sometime later, Skull Face escorted Chico to the jeep that brought him there, where an unconscious Paz awaited him.

"...Out at sea..." said Chico. "Staff of 300... but usually there's less than that... the base is protected bt a bipedal weapon armed with a nuke acquired from Peace Walker… ZEKE... Metal Gear..."

"See? That wasn't so hard," Skull Face congratulated the boy.

"You got what you wanted," said the angry child. "Aren't you satisfied?!"

"We're halfway there," said Skull Face.

Chico hopped into the jeep and was taken back to the prison area along with Paz. As soon as the guards left, the frustrated child turned his attention towards the horizon and realized that it was night time. Was this going to be his life now? Being tortured into selling out his comrades again and again?

"Chico. Chico?" he heard Paz call him.

He turned around and watched Paz stagger onto her knees in her half of their cage.

"...Thought you didn't want to talk to me," said Chico.

"There's... one thing I want to say," said Paz.

"What...?" asked Chico.

Paz moved closer to the bars that separated them and spoke the one thing that he didn't expect to hear.

"I missed you, Chico," Paz smiled.

Chico face went red. It was the same reaction he had when Paz first smiled at him when they first met. Except that was a charade back then, nothing more than a ruse. This time it was for real.

"...Yeah," Chico nervously nodded.

"Come here," said Paz.

"Huh?" Chico replied.

Chico inched his way towards Paz, wondering what she wanted. He reached the bars between them and was immediately embraced by her. Before he could process what was happening, Paz instantly planted a kiss upon his lips, surprising him.

"...No," Chico backed out of the kiss.

"...Sorry." Paz apologized.

"Enough already," Chico pushed her arms away.

Chico immediately turned away from Paz and started to bang his head against the bars, only stopping when he heard something else he never expected to hear:

"You want to do it here?" asked Paz.


	12. Negotiation

March 13th, 1975

"Come on, Paz. Talk!" Chico pleaded as he whipped Paz with his belt.

Paz refused to speak, causing the young boy to become even more desperate.

"Please, Paz. I'm doing this for you," Chico begged.

"Coward!" Paz yelled at him.

"How can you say that?!" Chico exclaimed, fighting back the tears.

"Traitor!" Paz continued.

"Don't make me mad!" Chico yelled back. "You're only making things worse!

Skull Face immediately stopped Chico and took the belt away, giving it to a marine to pick up where Chico left off.

"Take him back to his cage," Skull Face ordered one of the marines.

"What did I do?" asked Chico.

Skull Face slapped Chico cross the face and took his walkman.

"Vigyétek a ketrecébe!" Skull Face ordered again in Hungarian.

"Give it back! Give it back!" Chico demanded as he was dragged away.

As soon as he was gone, Skull Face stopped the marine whipping Paz and took the belt back.

"Enough," said Skull Face. "She's no good to us dead."

March 14th, 1975

Chico sat in his cage wondering what happened to Paz. He hasn't seen her since he was dragged away from her the day before and feared that they may have killed her. Soon he was approached by Skull Face, who had a devious smirk spread across his face.

"Can I have it back?" asked Chico.

"We've decided to let her go," said Skull Face.

Chico's eyes widened with surprise. He felt both happiness and regret; happy that they could finally go home and regret over what it cost.

"So... she talked," said Chico. "Told her she should've just gotten it over with."

"She's going back to your boss," said Skull Face. "But only her."

"...Huh?" the shocked boy murmured.

"Those were the terms," Skull Face explained. "She said to leave you here. I suppose she doesn't much care for you, anymore."

Chico couldn't believe what he was hearing. After everything he went through…

"That... bitch!" Chico slammed his fist against the bars

"Now, you've got quite a problem on your hands," said Skull Face. "When she gets back, what will she say? That you talked? Sold out your comrades? Your... family? You're finished."

"You mean I... I can't go home?" Chico whimpered.

"There's very little I can do for you," said Skull Face. "And I still have need of your... services."

"Huh?" Chico wiped away his tears.

"You're going to call your boss – for help," Skull Face instructed. "We'll make a recording, play it across public frequency bands."

"To bring him here...?" asked Chico. "Yeah, right. You expect me to trust you? I'll never help you."

"Perhaps," Skull Face shrugged. "But if you did... I wouldn't mind looking the other way if he did come for you. Take some guards off duty, let you quietly slip away. But... You wouldn't want the girl leaving here alive. She'd have to be eliminated before he came. There's no other way."

Chico didn't know what to say. He had a chance to go home, but that would mean he would have to sacrifice the life of another. The life of someone he loved.

"I'll leave you to think it over," said Skull Face.

Skull Face turned to leave, but not before giving him one final piece of advice.

 "Chico. Growing up means choosing how you're going to live your life," Skull Face reminded him.

"Wha-?!" Chico exclaimed. "That's what Snake… who is this guy?"


	13. Chico's Distress Call

"Now!" Snake yelled.

The MSF soldier in front of him pulled out his knife and charged at Snake. He thrust the knife forward, but Snake intercepted his hand with lighting speed and knocked the knife out of his hand. Snake then chopped his comrade's face before throwing him to the ground.

"You need more work," Snake assessed.

Snake helped his comrade onto his feet, before another one of his men approached him.

"Boss!" the man said. "Commander Miller is looking for you. He's at the Command Center."

Without a second thought, Snake headed to the Command Center and found Miller with a concerned look on his face.

"What's the problem, Kaz?" asked Snake.

"We found Chico," Miller informed.

"The Intel team found him?" asked Snake.

"No and that's what worries me," said Miller.

"How did we find him?" asked Snake.

"Chico told us," Miller replied.

"What?" Snake exclaimed.

"We were listening to radio transmissions and we eventually found Chico revealing his location on the more pubic frequencies," Miller explained. "Here, I recorded it for you."

Miller pulled a Walkman out of his pocket, pressed the play button and set it on a nearby crate.

"Snake, it's Chico. I need your help. Cipher's holding me on a U.S. military base in Cuba. Paz is here too. We're at the prison area at the coast. There are some cages to the east of a big building. It's an old, grassy facility. That's where we are. Help me, Snake..."

The recording ended, leaving Snake to wonder what Cipher was planning.

"It's a setup," said Miller.

"We have no choice," Snake pointed out.

"Yeah," Miller agreed. "If Chico talks, he could blow the nuke cover-up. We can't hold off until the inspection's over."

"When can we be ready?" asked Snake.

"It'll take at least 16 hours to confirm the flight path and prep a bird," said Miller. "The Intel Unit has started reconning the area."

"Sounds like I'll have to miss the inspection," said Snake.

"Boss, we'll just have to send someone else to get them out," said Miller.

"No," Snake said in a stern tone. "I'll go."

"Yeah," Miller relented. "Chico and Paz would only take orders from you anyway. And we can't go taking on those Marines at the base head-on. It's gotta be off-the-rader... And it's gotta be you."

"Hold down the fort, Kaz," said Snake.


	14. Paz's Decision

"Snake, it's Chico. I need your help. Cipher's holding me on a U.S. military base in Cuba. Paz is here too. We're at the prison area at the coast. There are some cages to the east of a big building. It's an old, grassy facility. That's where we are. Help me, Snake..."

"Don't... Don't do it..." Paz weakly begged.

"Kid's a natural, don't you think?" Skull Face taunted. "What do you think Big Boss will do? He'll know it's a trap, but he'll come anyway. That's the kind of man he is."

"Don't," Paz pleaded.

"Thanks to your report a nuclear inspection team's being sent to their base," Skull Face continued to taunt her. "The scientist was our way in. It all ends soon, exactly as I've planned. All thanks to you."

"Cipher... would never..." Paz weakly started.

"Yes, Cipher will surely mourn his death," said Skull Face. "I'll have no choice but to distance myself from the group. And then they'll eliminate you. No one will be left. Think about that. Big Boss or Cipher – you can only save one."

"I will never talk," Paz shook her head.

"I don't expect you to believe me," said Skull Face. "The question is, which of the two would you like to give a shot at survival?

"What I would like... is to kill you," Paz glared at him.

"The feeling is mutual," said Skull Face. "But... We're secret agents. Restraint is a virtue."

Skull Face speed through the tape until it reached a song the both of them knew well.

"Your favorite song," said Skull Face. "Nicola. Bart. Immigrants, wrongly executed. But their deaths served as a message to others. That ours is a society that murders the innocent. Do you, too, believe your sacrifice will change the world? If so, the time is now.

Cipher's been in hiding ever since his grand experiment. No one's seen him in years. All we hear are orders delivered by proxy. Except you. You met with him – face to face – in order to contact Big Boss. Tell me where he is. Where is Cipher... Where is Zero?"

Skull Face walked to the conflicted girl and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"I've never known choice," said Skull Face. "Where I was born, the language I speak... I've never had the freedom to choose for myself. But you, right now, are free. Do as you will."

"This will save Big Boss?" asked Paz.

"It may," Skull Face answered.

"Will you really kill Zero for me?" asked Paz.

"Not for you," said Skull Face.

Paz weighed her choices in her head. Either save the man how gave her purpose in life or save the man she connected with in such a short amount of time. It was a tough decision, but deep down, she knew what her answer was.

"Alright..." Paz relented. "Zero is..."


	15. Withered Peace

March 15th 1975

Skull Face and a group of soldier watch a medic work on Paz. These soldiers weren't the same as the marines stationed at that base. They were part of Cipher's Strike Force, XOF. A unit that Skull Face commanded.

"She's all closed up," a medic informed Skull Face.

"Timer's set per your instructions," a soldier informed him.

"We can't have her waking up – or dying – on us..." Skull Face reminded them.

"I gave her a transfusion, a nutrient cocktail, and an anesthetic," the medic reassured him.

"How long does she have?" asked Skull Face.

"24 hours – same as her cargo," the mdic answered. "She won't last much longer than that."

"Almost there," said Skull Face. "Now for the second one. In a place they'd never look."

After they finished preparing Paz for her eventual rescue, they strung the barely conscious girl up and expressed nothing but disgust for her.

"You shall not see triumph," said Skull Face. "You've been most helpful. And I have one last use for you. To you I give a magnificent end... But an end nonetheless. The final moment is yours."

"We heard from the advance team – everything's right on schedule," one of his men informed him. "The C4 has been planted on the legs. Strike team and decoy team are in position. And, we have confirmation that Big Boss' chopper has lifted off."

"A shame I won't see him," said Skull Face. "But at least I'll get a look at his body. Time for us to move out, too... But first, let's stop by and see the boy. I want Big Boss to hear his little diary. Hopefully he's still a good listener. First Big Boss, then Zero. Liberation is at hand."

Skull Face and his men took their leave, leaving Paz to her fate. Once out of the boiler room, Skull Face look up at the dark night sky, feeling each drop of rain hit his face like knives and smiled. The beginning of the end was nigh.

Meanwhile, on a chopper not too far from the base, Snake and a single MSF medic prepared themselves for the task ahead.

"Snake," Miller radioed him. "You can forget about civil liberties where you're headed. God only knows what they'd do to you if you got caught. Do not let that happen. The Cubans leased the land to the U.S. as a gesture for helping them gain independence from Spain. The deal remains in effect until both countries agree to dissolve it or the U.S. abandons the land. That's why America still operates the base even after la revolución. Problem is, it's leased land."

"Meaning it isn't American soil, so the U.S. Constitution doesn't apply there," Snake replied. "That allows them to withhold its civil rights protections."

"Yeah, that's Uncle Sam's excuse," said Miller. "The area was originally only for detaining refugees from countries like Cuba and Haiti. But a few years ago, the CIA and its like started using it as a black site. Enemies of the state are renditioned there and subjected to extreme forms of interrogation. You can bet Cipher had a hand in that. As you'd expect, American and other Western human rights organizations aren't allowed anywhere near the place. What happens there disappears down the memory hole."

"Who knows what they're doing to Chico and Paz," Snake responded in a worried tone.

"I'd like to interrogate her ourselves, but if worse comes to worst, make sure she's dead," said Miller. "Chico, on the other hand, we have to bring back – fast. He knows too much about us."

"Kaz." Snake said in a stern tone.

"The area's surrounded by mines placed by both the U.S. and Cuba, making escape on foot impossible," Miller informed him. "You're heading into the lion's den, Snake. Don't take this one lightly. Come back in one piece."

"Yeah," Snake nodded.


	16. Ground Zeroes Part 1

March 16th, 1975 00:00

Skull Face and his unit returned to the Prison Area, where Chico was found slouched over in his cell. One of the soldiers aimed the submachine gun at him, but not even his life being potentially threatened again could elicit a reaction from him.

"She told us everything," said Skull Face. "Don't worry. I kept my word. She didn't suffer long."

Skull Face then pulled Chico's Walkman out of his jack and dropped it into his cell.

"You earned it," said Skull Face.

Skull Face kneeled down and watched Chico slide himself towards his walkman.

"How's it feel to play the traitor?" asked Skull Face. "No more war games. You're a real man now soldier."

Skull Face stood up and adjusted his hat as Chico plugged his headphones into his Walkman.

"Give my regards to your Boss when you get home," said Skull Face. "Also, you're little girlfriend left you a message on there before she passed on. I'd take a listen if I were you."

Skull Face took his leave and Chico hit the play button. He has already been through so much pain the last few days; he was sure whatever words Paz left him couldn't hurt him at this point.

 "Chico. I am borrowing your recorder. I hope you do not mind," the recording of Paz started. "I know it hurts right now, but it will all be over soon. Just thinking that helps keep the pain away. Chico... I would do anything to get you out of here. It is funny... I have never helped anyone else before, only Cipher. That is the truth. I... I never imagined you would come for me. I was not very nice at first, I know. But I did not mean it. I...I was afraid they would try to use you, somehow.

But, to be honest... Having you with me here put my mind at ease. I hope that does not sound selfish. I thought I would never make it. But together, I think we can. I am watching you sleep as I record this. You have made me believe. That I will make it out of here... And that – no matter what happens – it will not be the end for me. Thank you, Chico."

"Paz…" the broken boy whimpered, too sad to notice any of the helicopters that flew by.

Onboard one of the helicopters, Skull Face removed his unit patch and motioned the rest of his men to do the same. They all passed their patches one soldier and he discarded them by dropping them out of the vehicle. The patches fluttered in the down draft of the helicopter and slowly fell towards the surrounding water.

Suddenly, one of the patches was caught by Snake, who was in the middle of climbing his way up a cliff wall to the base. Snake took one look at the patch and was immediately shocked by its design. It was an inverted image of the fox that was used by his old FOX Unit. Snake then watched the helicopters fly by and started to wonder what relation XOF has to FOX.

Snake continued up the cliff and eventually lifted himself up over the edge.

"I'm in front of the prison camp," Snake reported.

"Excellent, Snake. Age hasn't slowed you down one bit," Miller complimented.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" Snake replied.

Snake slowly moved forward and hid behind a nearby rock to hide from more helicopters. As soon as they were gone, Snake stood up and surveyed the base. There were more guards than the last time he was there, but he still had the rainy weather and blanket of night on his side.

Snake then grabbed his iDroid and activated its map feature, giving him a holographic display of the base and the location of the prison camp where Chico and Paz were last reported at. Once he's memorized the route he needed to take, Snake put the iDroid back in his bag and proceeded to make his way there.

Because the rain blurred the guard's vision and his sneaking suit blended in with darkness of the nighttime, Snake was able to effortlessly sneak past every guard and spotlight in his way and knocked out the guards that were guarding the old prison area.

With the area secured, Snake approached the cage housing Chico and called his name. He didn't answer. Snake called him twice more, but then realized that Chico's headphones prevented the boy from hearing him. Snake then decided to detach the flashlight from his rifle and flashed it to gain Chico's attention. Snake picked the lock to Chico's cage and opened the door, but instead of being greeted with relief, the frightened child backed away from him.

"Chico, it's me," Snake tried to calm him down.

"No… Go away!" Chico yelled.

Snake tried to reach out to Chico, but Chico refused to be touched by him and continued to frantically get away from Snake.

"Chico, keep it down!" Snake whispered.

Hearing a nearby vehicle, Snake took his eye off of Chico to check the surrounding area, giving Chico a chance to tackle him down. With no other choice, Snake placed Chico in a sleeper hold, rendering him unconscious. Snake then gently laid the boy down and decided to update Miller.

"I've got Chico," Snake reported.

"And Paz?" asked Miller.

Snake looked towards Paz's side of the cage and was surprised to find it empty.

"Not here," Snake reported.

"Are you sure?" asked Miller.

"Pretty sure," Snake assured him.

"Is Chico able to walk?" asked Miller.

"Hold on," Snake said as he reached for his flash light again.

Snake inspected the young boy and felt nothing but regret when he finds bolts screwed into his tendons.

"Not going to happen," Snake shook his head.

"You'll have to carry him out then," said Miller. "Okay, Boss, change of plans. Haul Chico over to the rendezvous point. We'll get Paz's whereabouts from him once he's calmed down."


	17. Ground Zeroes Part 2

Snake lifted Chico over his shoulders and started to make his way to the designated RV. It was the cave Snake found during his first mission here and he knew it was the perfect spot for extraction for this mission. Once there, Snake sat the now conscious Chico in the cave and asked, "Chico, where is Paz?"

"She's dead…" Chico sorrowfully answered.

"Dead…?" Snake repeated.

"She's dead…" Chico nodded.

"When did it happen?" asked Snake.

"She's dead…" Chico repeated.

"Were you with her when it happened?" asked Snake.

"She's dead," Chico shook his head.

Before Snake could question him further, Miller contacted him.

"What do you think, Boss?" asked Miller.

"I can't get a straight answer from him," said Snake.

"You think she's really dead?" asked Miller.

"It's a common trick for torture to lie to victims," said Snake. "Chico wasn't there when it happened."

"I see…" said Miller. "Alright then, search the base for any clues to Paz's whereabouts. If she's alive, we need to bring her back here."

"Right," Snake nodded.

Snake left the safety of the cave and noticed a truck drive by. The truck stopped in front of a lone medic and the medic climbed in.

"You have to check the vitals on the girl, right?" the soldier behind the wheel asked.

"Those were my orders," the medic answered. "Though I don't know why we need to keep her alive at this point."

"What do you mean?" the soldier asked as he drove to the admin building.

"The guys who were interested in her are gone now," said the medic.

"Thank god," the soldier sighed. "Those guys freaked me out."

The truck stopped at the admin building's front gate and requested for it to be opened for them. Soon the gate opened, allowing the soldier to drive and park the truck in the administration area. They then made their way to the boiler room, where Skull Face left Paz.

"Alright," the medic said. "Let's see how this little bi-"

Before he could finish his sentence the medic was punched across the jaw, instantly knocking him unconscious. The soldier immediately turned around and could do nothing but watch Snake grab his rifle and use it to render him unconscious too. With the area secured, Snake approached Paz ad softly called her name. He then checked her pulse as memories of their last encounter flooded his head. Even though they last met as enemies, he still couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl. Snake freed her from her bonds and proceeded to carry her back to the RV while avoiding all the security in his way.

Once back at the RV, Snake carefully laid Paz next to Chico, who couldn't believe his eyes. The person he thought he condemned to death was alive. Chico then laid back and started begging her for forgiveness, but all Paz could do was hum, as if to calm him down. Snake requested a helicopter pickup and waited in the cave with them until eventually one arrived. Snake loaded his objectives into the vehicle and jumped in himself, riding it out of the base's airspace.


	18. Rigged

During the trip back to Mother Base, Chico noticed something odd about Paz. There was more blood around the stomach area of her uniform than anywhere else. Worried what that could mean, Chico lifted her shirt up and found a v-shaped scar on her gut.

"Snake…" Chico called. "Snake!"

Snake turned around and immediately became cautious of Paz's new scar.

"Medic!" Snake called.

Snake quickly moved Chico away from Paz as the medic inspected Paz's stomach. It didn't take long for them to both come to the same conclusion.

"She's rigged!" said Snake. "Damn it! We were set up!

"We got to get it out," the medic said as he reached for his tools. "No time for anesthetic. We have to open her now."

Chico looked Snake, who had a concerned look on his face.

"Hold her down," Snake ordered Chico. "HOLD HER DOWN!"

Snake and Chico placed their arms around Paz and prepared for what was to come. Soon the medic cut the threads that held her wound shut and slowly opened it, slightly revealing more wires in her. He then cut the remaining wires and put his tools away.

"Paz…" Chico thought to himself.

The medic then grabbed both sides of Paz's open wound and stretched it open even further, causing the girl immense pain.

"Keep her gut in!" the medic instructed Chico.

Chico fought to keep Paz's entrails in her as Snake forcibly kept the girl in place. The medic searched for the bomb in Paz, but was unable to find anything. With no other choice, the medic dug even deeper into Paz's stomach causing her to scream even louder. After searching over and over, the medic eventually pulled out what they were looking for.

"Boss…" the medic showed him the bomb.

Snake retrieved the bomb from the medic and noticed a peace sign on the back. Without a second thought, Snake opened one of the helicopter doors and threw it towards the sea. The medic then inspected Paz to see how the immediate surgery affected her.

"Breathing stable. No active bleeding. She's clean. I'm closing her up," the medic announced.

Snake nodded his head and then heard his radio sound off. He quickly wiped the blood off his hands and answered it.

"Boss, can you hear me?" Huey asked.

"What's up, Huey?" Snake confirmed.

"Our guests are right on time," Huey reported. "Document destruction and hangar decontamination are complete. AFVs have been stowed away. And ZEKE's on the sea floor along with the nuke. Everyone's  got their stories straight. The guided tour will be wrapped up by the time you get home."

"Make me proud," said Snake.

"By the time they leave, I'll have the IAEA praising us as the poster boys for world peace," Huey proudly assured him. "Out."


	19. The Fall of Mother Base

After a long trip, they were finally nearing Mother Base. With Paz and Chico secured and Huey leading the inspection tour, everything seemed to be going Snake's way. But soon a new problem appeared. For some reason the helicopter's pilot was unable to contact the base.

"Tower, this is Morpho one! Do you copy?" the pilot asked. "Can't get through! The link seems fine but… ugh."

Snake wondered what was going on and opened one of the doors. With the door opened, he noticed smoke coming from the distance and the water reflecting something that was orange in color. Snake kept staring at the sea until, from the corner of his eye, spotted a helicopter burning in the water. Without a word, Snake quickly grabbed his assault rifle and watched several struts burn as the pilot searched for survivors. Soon the helicopter flew over the deck allowing Snake to find Miller and several of his men defending themselves from the XOF unit.

But before Snake could respond, a helicopter with an XOF soldier in it flew by and opened fire at him. The shots missed and Snake responded by firing himself. The two helicopters circled around each other as the two tried to take the others down. Eventually, Snake landed a head shot and then fired a burst into the enemy helicopter's rotors, causing it to spiral out of control and crash into the deck.

"Take her down!" Snake ordered.

The pilot lowered the helicopter altitude and landed next to the remaining MSF survivors. Snake quickly jumped out and joined the fray, singlehandedly turning the tide of the battle and giving them hope they could win the battle.

"Incoming!" one of the MSF soldiers cried.

Snake immediately glanced to his left and noticed one of the enemy soldiers aiming a missile launcher at them. He fired at him, killing the enemy in the process, but not before he was able to pull the trigger. The missile flew across the deck and detonated on their side, decimating half of MSF's surviving forces and immobilizing Miller.

"Incoming!" Snake heard again.

Quickly recovering from the attack, Snake quickly rolled onto his stomach and opened fire on another enemy wielding a missile launcher, saving his men from another missile strike. It was at that moment that Snake realized they were fighting a losing battle and decided it was time to retreat.

Snake jumped onto his feet and made his way to Miller, who was helped up by one of his comrades. He took over the role of helping Miller to the helicopter and ordered his men to escape. As they made their escape, one of the many explosions caused a nearby crane to fall forward and crash into the deck, effectively splitting it apart and causing it to slowly start sinking into the sea.

The remaining soldier fired at each other, slowly whittling the other side's numbers as Snake helped Miller into the helicopter. With Miller secured, Snake turned around and realized that only two of his men were left and that one of them had an injured arm. Snake and the single remaining soldier offered cover fire, allowing the injured soldier to escape into the helicopter. Snake and the remaining soldier then slowly backed towards the vehicle, their eyes still trained on their attackers until his fellow soldier was shot in the neck, instantly killing him. Snake caught his comrades' body and stared at it. At that moment, Snake lost all any form of restraint and glared at the XOF unit. He furiously screamed over the loss of his comrades and charged back into the fray.

"Snake!" Miller called out to him.

Snake continued to fire at his enemies until his rifle was empty. With no other choice, he angrily therw his rifle down and ran back the helicopter. He accepted Miller's hand and boarded the vehicle just as they were about to be claimed by the sea.

"Go!" Snake yelled.

The pilot immediately took off and Snake and Miller watched the base they worked so hard to build explode and sink into the sea. Snake closed the helicopter door and slumped into the corner and Miller glared at the floor.

"Inspection was nothing but a smoke screen," said Miller. "I heard explosions then…"

Miller stood up and screamed, "THEY PLAYED LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE!!!"

Miller grabbed Snake and continued to yell.

 "Give it back!! This isn’t right, that was ours!!" Miller yelled, slamming his fist on the helicopter door. "We built it, damn it!!"

From the corner of his eyes, Miller noticed the medic attending to Paz and was immediately filled with even more anger.

"You spying bitch!" Miller grumbled.

Miller shoved the medic out of the way and started to violently shake the barely conscious girl.

"C’mon, start talking bitch!" Miller demanded. "C’mon, get up and start talking!"

All the shaking caused Paz to wake up and fearfully stumble away from Miller. She ran into Snake and tumbled over to the helicopter door. Snake tried to keep her calm, but Miller continued to blame Paz for what happened to them, forcing the medic to force him away from Paz.

"Bomb!" Paz tried to warn them. "There’s a…"

"It’s alright, we got it out!" Snake interrupted.

Paz, realizing what that meant, opened the helicopter door and backed to the edge of the open doorway.

"There’s another… in my…" Paz started.

As Paz tried to explain the situation, Snake noticed a helicopter fly next to them with and XOF soldier aiming a missile launcher at them. Snake then noticed the frantic look on Paz's face and realized what she was about to do. Snake and the medic rushed towards Paz, but were too late.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Snake screamed as he watched Paz fall towards the sea.

Suddenly, Paz exploded in front of them and the medic threw Snake behind him. The force of the explosion flung the two of them back and sent the chopper spiraling out of control. The chopper continued to spin as it lost altitude until it eventually collided with the XOF helicopter.

 


	20. Aftermath

Smoke from the disaster was visible from the coastline.

The media blamed "money-minded private militias," and scandal followed when the US was fingered as one of the organization's top clients.

In response, the Secretary of Defense publicly stated that "neither the United States nor its allies had any hand in the incident."

Reports also suggested that IAEA inspectors visited the site. However, the UN and the IAEA insist that "no such inspection took place."

Other countries among the organization's long list of clients avoided comment all together.

The casualty figure is uncertain. There are no known survivors.

However, in the moments prior to and following the incident, several unidentified military helicopters were sighted in the area.


	21. Timeline

**April 30th, 1975**

The Ho Chi Minh Campaign leads to the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam's reunification.

**July 17th, 1975**

The Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft dock in orbit. The first U.S.-Soviet peaceful space test is successful.

**1976**

The "Les Enfants Terribles" project is abandoned.

**1977**

An underground nuclear test site is discovered beneath the Kalahari Desert. Bowing to international pressure, the South African government abandons the site.

**1979**

The Iranian Revolution leads to the Iran Hostage Crisis.

**July 19th, 1979**

President Somoza defects following the FSLN uprising, and the Nicaraguan Revolution comes to fruition.

**December 24th, 1979**

The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, bringing an end to détente.

**September 22nd, 1980**

The Iran-Iraq War breaks out. Fearing the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. support Iraq.

**1980**

Dr. "Huey" Emmerich's first child is born. He is named Hal.

**June 7th, 1981**

Operation Opera: Israeli bombers strike nuclear reactor under construction in Iraq.

**April 18th, 1983**

A suicide bomber attack the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

**October 25th, 1983**

The U.S. military invades Grenada.

**2002**

Camp X-Ray, a black site for housing "enemy combatants," is established at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

**2008**

The President of the United States publicly pledges to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

 


	22. Sleep

March 16th 1975 13:31. Hospital Mena de Barranquilla, Colombia.

An injured Miller watched helplessly as the doctors scramble to revive Snake. They tried everything they could do to jump start Snake's heart, but nothing seemed to work.

"Don't you die on me, damn it!" Miller tried to encourage his unconscious partner.

After several more attempts, they were able to restart Snake's heart.

"How's he doing?" asked Miller.

"Well, he's stabilized…" one of the doctors answered. "But it took too long. He's in a coma."

Miller struggled to lift his head up and looked at the patient besides Snake.

"What about him?" asked Miller.

**Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – The End**


End file.
